I’m looking to place my hive for the upcoming season. But I have some questions about how much the bee presence to expect.
My preference is the green spot- It faces east, is fenced in but the pool deck is just above. I’m concerned about the bees interfering with summer activities on the deck.
The other sport is the pink area but it doesn’t face east and would be partially shaded by the shed its next to and the trees above. Again I’m concerned about bees flying across the pool.
The orange location faces east, gets morning sun and afternoon shade but isn’t protected by a fence.
Red dot would face south ish and get morning sun. It would also be protected by an awning. But the hive entrance would need to face the sidewalk (in order to have access to the rear to harvest).
I guess my general question is: How much bee traffic should I expect and how closely can the bees live in harmony with people who enjoy the yard and being outside.
Probably not the answer you want but I would put them well away from the house and give them a decent water source or they will be in your pool.
Make sure you have room for two hives as having two is a safer option should something go wrong with one. Also when you split for swarm control you will have two hives for a period anyway.
Only two hives Dee?
There are plenty of discussions regarding placement with some great advice, here’s one. http://forum.honeyflow.com/t/where-to-locate-the-bee-hive/229
We’re on a 3/4 acre block with a pool and have currently 5 hives with 2 known tree colonys on the block also. We do get too many bees in the pool and do get followed around when swimming on a hot day. Not agressively, they are just thirsty and see wet bods as a safe drinking spot. We rarely get stung though.
We have 3 young children and they are aware of the bees and enjoy them too.
Ideally south facing (northern hemisphere), full sun.
Make sure the hive entrance does not face any lights that may be on in the night. We are at an airb&b on the Big Island and the owner recently placed a hive 15 meters away from the house. The only time we get bothered by the bees is when one comes investigating in the night when the porch lights come on.
